X p piano-action



(No Model.)

W. W. WALLACE.

PIANO ACTION No. 519,166. Patented May 1,1894.

Wiinesses:

/7jm h UNrrED STATES ATENT Germs,

WILLIAM W. WVALLAGE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

- PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,166, dated May 1,1894- Applioation filed September 19,1893. Serial No. 485,830- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WALLACE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Piano-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in piano actions, more particularly to actions for upright pianos.

The object of the invention is to simplify the action and to generally improve and render more efficient the principal operating parts, as will be hereinafter rendered manifest.

The invention consists in constructions and combinations of parts, all substantially as will hereinafter fully appear and be set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which these improvements are illustrated.

Figure 1 is a sectionalside elevation of the upright action. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on an enlarged scale of the flange, or j ournal support for the hammers, jacks and similarlevef-like parts, which support embodies the improvements to be hereinafter specified, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same, while Fig. 4 is a plan view of the metallic blank from which the improved journal support is in part formed.

In the drawings, A represents, in vertical cross section, the center rail for the action, B the lower rail, 0 the jack-lever rail, D the hammer-rail, and E the regulator rail. The center rail, A, is stepped at its rear and has pivotally mounted thereon, the hammer, F, as usual. The hammer rail,D,having the layer of felt, is located suitably above and slightly in advance of the center rail for the rest of the hammer thereupon when the hammer is in its normal position. The upright damper lever, a, is intermediately thereof, pivotally mounted upon the rear step of the center rail, this lever carrying the upwardly extended wire stem, or shank, ed, with the damper, (1 at its upper end, the spring, a serving to normally maintain the damper rearwardly swung to its bearing against the string, 00. The jack-levenrail is suitably in advance of and slightly below the center rail and the jack-lever, G, is, intermediately thereof, pivotally mounted upon the said rail, this lever being nearly upright with, however, a forward and upward inclination, as seen. The jack, b, is of a usual form, ithaving its longer member rearwardly extended to engagement with the shoulder of the hammer-butt, whlle its shorter member 12 is upwardly extended at the elbow, its upper end being formed with the down wardly and rearwardly inclined nose, which is bushed with felt, and with which ongages the button, cl, of the cut-off, or regulator.

Upon the lower rail, B, which ranges transversely across the series of keys, one of which is indicated at H, is pivotally mounted, atits elbow, the bell-crank or angle-lever, f, the upwardly extended arm of which is extended to within a short distance in advance of the lower extremity of the j ack-lever, the link, g, connecting these contiguousmembers. The key has at its rear the upwardly extended shank or stem, 2', with the wooden stud 1. at its upper end, the latter having a rounded top which is in bearing against the under surface of the rearward horizontal member of the aforesaid elbow lever, all so that the depression of the key, at its front, causing the elevation at the rear, insures, through the elbow lever and link connection with the jacklever, the rearward swinging movement of the upper member of the jack-lever, insuring the operation of the hammer, the release of the damper, and the carrying of the backcheck into position to intercept the hammer, on its rebound, against returning entirely to its normal position, for the usual facility and rapidity in repeating a note. The back check consists of the rearwardly and upwardly inclined wire or stem j, which has connection with the upper member of the j ack-lever, this stem having at its rear end the felt bushed check-block,j The parts are arranged and adjusted so that as the hammer is thrown against the string, the back-check assumes, while the key is still held depressed, a position of 'approximatety half an inch, or less, to the rear of the forward end of the hammer at the instant the hammer is on the key, the hammer having only the stated distance of rebound. I

The purpose and operation of the backcheck are well understood to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, and the novelty with respect to this device in the present invention consists in the relative arrangement of the hammer, jack, and jack-lever, with the back-check rearwardly extended from the upper extremity of the jack-lever. The regulating screw, C1 is vertically adjustable by screwing down through the regulator-rail, E, the button, d, having its lower portion in the form of an inverted cone, which form, together with the adj ustability thereof and its juxtaposition with the nose of the jack, constitutes a cutoff or regulator which is capable of great eitlciency and nicety of operation. The damper-lever, a, has, on its depending arm, the forwardly extended member, a, with the smooth, rounded extremity, interposed between which and the jack-lever, at a point on the latter a short distance above its pivotal support, is the horizontal reciprocatory push-rod, m, the latter having slide bearings through the horizontally apertured lower portion of the center rail, A. This push-rod has, at each end, the felt covered buttons, Z, P, the latter being normally in contact with the said rounded extremity of the damper member, a, while with the forward button contacts the button-provided rear end of the screw-shank, n, which is adjustable forwardly or rearwardly, as desired, through the jack-lever. The center rail is preferably formed with the groove at its lower part, as seen at 0, whereby the bearing surface imparted to the push-rod is lessened, and the hole through the said apertured portion of the center rail, through which the push-rod slides, is bushcd orlined with felt for the obvious purpose. In this action an improved form of flange or journal supportand connection is illustrated which is adapted for employment at various parts of the action, as between the jack-lever and the jack-lever-rail,between the j ack-lever and jack,between the center rail and hammer-butt, or damper-lever, one or both, and between the lower rail and elbow lever. This journal support, or flange, as this part is sometimes termed in piano actions, is in part formed of asingle blank of thin metal of rectangular form, as seen at Fig. 4, with an inclosed rectangular opening, 19, therein. This blank has intermediate portions thereof overturned on bending lines which traverse said aperture to form the opposing apertured or loop-like ear pieces, q, see Figs. 2 and 3, the end portion of the blank being superimposed and riveted together forming the:

base or foot piece to be attached by screws, or otherwise, to the rails. WVithin the op.- posing ear pieces formed as described, are set small blocks or sections 0', of Wood having the transversely aligned holes therein, which are bushcd or lined with the felt 75, within and next to which bear the pivots, y, for the various devices which are hung within these ear pieces. These flanges,or journal supports, constructed as described, are less affected by atmospheric changes than those heretofore usually employed, which were constrncted of wood. They are also capable of production easily and cheaply.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an upright piano action, the combination with a jack-operating lever and the damper-lever, both pivotally mounted for swinging movements in corresponding vertical planes, of a rod horizontally mounted for a reciprocatory endwise movement adapted to be pushed at one end by the jack-lever, and to push and swing by its other end the damper-lever, substantially as described.

2. In an upright piano action, the combination with a jack-operating lever and the damper-lever, both pivotally mounted for swinging movements in corresponding vertical planes, of a rod horizontally mounted for a reciprocatory endwise movement adapted to be pushed at one end by the j ack-lever, and to push and swing by its other end the damperlever, and a spring for retracting the damper and push-rod on the return movement of the jack-lever, substantially as described.

8. In an upright piano action, the combi nation with the jack-lever and the damperlever mounted for swinging movements in vertical planes, of the interposed horizontal endwise reciprocatory push-rod having one end in contact with the damper-lever and having its other end adjacent and in the plane of swing of the jack-lever and the adjusting screw on the jack-lever having an endwise bearing engagment on said push-rod, substantially as described.

4. In an upright piano action, the combination with the center rail and the hammer pivotally mounted thereon, and the damper also pivotally and intermediately mounted therein having the forwardly extended memher on its depending arm, and the jack-lever pivotally and intermediately supported forward of the center rail, and the horizontal pushrod playing through guide-ways therefor in the center rail and having buttons on its ends, one of which has a contact engagement with the said member of the damper and the screw adjustable through the j ack-lever and having the button on its rear end having a contact engagement with the adjacent push-rod button, and the damper spring, substantially as described.

5. In an upright piano action, the combination with the lower rail, and the elbow lever pivotally mounted thereon, of the key having at its rear the upwardly extended stud in contact bearing upon the horizontally extended member of the elbow lever, the intermediately pivoted upright jack-lever, and a link connecting its lower end to the upwardly extended arm of the elbow lever, substantially as described.

6. In an upright piano action, the combination with the lower rail, and the elbow lever pivotally mounted thereon, of the key having at its rear the upwardly extended stud in contact bearing upon the horizontally extended member of the elbow lever, the shank or stem 5 of said stud having a vertically adjustable screw engagement in the key, the intermediately pivoted upright jack-lever, and a link connecting its lower end to the upwardly extended arm of the elbow-lever, substantially 10 as described.

7. In an upright piano action, the combination with the hammer formed and pivotally mounted as usual, of the upright intermediately pivoted jack-lever having the jack I 5 pivoted thereon and provided, near its pivot,

with the upwardly extended member, the regulating rail, and the vertical regulating screw having on its lower end the conical button, the apex of which is downward, substantially 20 as described.

8. In an upright piano action, the combination with the pivoted hammer, of the jack, and the upright lever on which the jack is pivotally mounted having in its upper ex- 25 tremity the rearwardly extended stem with the same having intermediate portions over- 4o turned on bending lines traversing said aperture to form the opposing apertured or looplike ear-pieces, and the superimposed end portions riveted together, substantially as described and shown.

WILLIAM W. WALLACE.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, WM. S. BELLoWs. 

